The New Bankotsu
by gunman
Summary: Shinji gets teleported to the Warring States Era where he gets merged with the body of the Band of Seven leader Bankotsu, and finds both pain and love in a new world. Another response to Invincible Shinji's Romance Fanfic Challenge.


_**THE NEW BANKOTSU  
**_by Gunman

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, InuYasha or it's characters.

Summary: Shinji gets teleported to the Warring States Era where he gets merged with the body of the Band of Seven leader Bankotsu, and finds both pain and love in a new world.

Summary: Shinji gets teleported to the Warring States Era where he merges with the corpse of the Band of Seven leader Bankotsu, gaining his appearance, but with new powers. Yet another response to Invincible Shinji's _Romance Fanfic Challenge_.

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(The Secret Castle/Fortress of Naraku, Japan, Warring States Era)

"Why did you bring me here?" Bankotsu, the young and powerful leader of the Band of Seven, irritatedly asked the imposing half-demon before him.

"Because you were about to fail in battle against InuYasha, and I could not allow your shard of the Sacred Jewel to fall into their hands." Naraku explained to him.

Behind the pair, a trio of individuals stood just watching this event unfold. One was a young girl with pale skin and hair, dressed in white, with a small mirror in her hands. Her name was Kanna. Two was a tall, attractive woman in a pink, white and yellow kimono, with dark hair, red eyes and pointed ears. Her name was Kagura, the wind demoness. Three was a young man dressed in a blue and black outfit with dark hair and a scythe attached to a chain that hung at his hip. His name was Kohaku.

"Don't worry. I won't fail again." Bankotsu said rather confidently.

"I can assure you of that." Naraku said.

"Huh? Why?" he asked curiously.

"Because I'm taking the shard back!" he said as his tentacles started to wiggle.

Bankotsu paled, realizing what that would do to him.

"Not a chance!" he shouted, going for his halberd that sat next to him.

"This isn't up for debate!" Naraku shouted as he lashed out at Bankotsu, who dodged the attacks and waved his halberd to cut off the tentacle that flew towards him.

"You're not getting my jewel shard!" Bankotsu shouted, flipping through the air with uncanny grace.

"The shard belongs to me! I gave it to you to give you life in order to destroy my enemies, but as you have failed, I'm taking it back!" Naraku hissed at the boy.

"Over my dead..." he shouted, but paused as he realized that saying that would be redundant. "Uh... never mind."

"There is little point in fighting me. I have more Sacred Jewel shards than you do. Victory is inevitable." Naraku said as Bankotsu continued leaping around the room.

"But I won't quit!" Bankotsu shouted as he leaped into the air and sliced hard at the tentacles. "And there's nothing you can do to..."

"Hello InuYasha."

"What? ACK!" Bankotsu gagged, caught by Naraku's tentacle that wrapped around his neck while a second tentacle knocked the halberd from his hand.

"Pathetic. I can't believe you fell for that one." Naraku said as the tentacle around his neck pulled the shard from his neck.

Upon the removal of the shard, the body of the Band of Seven leader stopped moving, his features transforming from a healthy, handsome human being into a skinless, organless, muscleless corpse. Naraku's tentacle loosened from around the neck of the skeleton, still dressed in the stylish white and blue clothes, as it crumbled to the ground.

"And now we must...." Naraku started to say to his two other minions, only to stop as he noticed a sudden flash of light that exploded as a hole in the center of the room formed.

"What is that?" Kagura asked.

"It's a portal to another world." Kanna said.

From out of the hole, a young teenager dressed in blue and white flew from it and crashed hard into the pile of bones.

Naraku, Kagura, Kanna and Kohaku stared at the strange boy who was unconscious and lying on the bones that used to be Bankotsu as the hole in the center of the room vanished.

"Who the hell is that?" Kagura asked.

"I sense a strange power coming from him." Kanna said.

The group, even the mostly human Kohaku, could see strange sparks of energy moving over his body. Suddenly, the sparks intensified and exploded into a flash of light that blinded even Naraku.

When the light finally died down, the quartet gasped at what they saw. Or actually didn't see.

"What in the netherworld!" Naraku gasped.

"Where... where did the boy go?" Kagura asked.

"And where did the pile of bones go?" Kohaku gasped.

The group stared at the body that was lying in the middle of the large room.

The whole and living body of Bankotsu.

Kanna flexed her mirror to the boy, seeing what had happened.

"The boy and the bones of Bankotsu have merged." Kanna said.

"Merged?" Kagura asked. "You mean..."

"When the boy who fell out of that portal collided with the bones of Bankotsu, their residual energies must have combined and as a result, the two are now one." the emotionless girl said.

"And what does that mean for us?" Naraku asked, never having experienced anything like this before in his life.

Suddenly, the boy woke up.

"Oh, what happened? Where am I?" he said, sitting up then froze when he noticed the quartet of odd looking people before him. "Uh.... hi." he said to the group.

"Who are you?" Naraku asked.

"Uh, my name is Shinji. Shinji Ikari." he replied.

_The boy has taken over Bankotsu's body. _Naraku thought as he stared at the new Band of Seven leader. (Not exactly new, but definitely not as he was) "Your name is Shinji?"

"Yes."

"Strange. You look exactly like Bankotsu."

"Who?"

"Kanna. Please show him."

The young girl, who somehow reminded Shinji of Rei Ayanami, walked up to him and raised her mirror to his face.

Shinji gasped.

"Wha... what happened to me?!!" he gasped, touching his face, his reflection mimicking his actions.

He didn't recognize his own face.

"You have taken over the body of Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven." Naraku said.

"Band of Seven?" Shinji asked as Kanna stepped back from the boy to Naraku's side.

"A group of mercenaries who used to work for me. They were killed by my enemies." he said.

While Shinji continued to look over his new face and body, his actions telling Naraku much about him and his situation, the wicked half-demon grinned as he realized that this could be useful to his plans more so than Bankotsu and the Band of Seven.

"Shinji... I have a favor to ask of you." Naraku grinned.

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Several miles from a small town, a strange group of individuals continued to walk/search for the last of their deadly enemies.

"I can't believe that coward!" InuYasha, the fierce half-dog-demon who was dressed all in red with a long white hair and a sword at his hip, said.

"Are you talking about Bankotsu or Naraku?" Miroku, the lecherous monk with short brown hair and dressed in purple and black robes carrying a gold staff, asked.

"Both! I was about to beat Bankotsu, and Naraku just up and spirits him away." InuYasha huffed.

"Don't worry, InuYasha." Kagome, the raven-haired, blue-eyed reincarnated miko priestess in the green and white school uniform with the bow and arrows over her shoulders, said. "We'll find them. And then we'll find Naraku."

"But where do we even start to look for either of them?" Sango, the raven-haired, brown-eyed demon slayer dressed in the black and pink ninja-like outfit with the large boomerang on her back, asked.

Just then, Kagome stopped.

"Kagome? What's wrong?" Sango asked.

"I sense a sacred jewel shard nearby." the girl said.

Suddenly, Kirara, Sango's two-tailed cat demon, shrieked. Everyone, including the small fox demon Shippo, stopped and stared as a young man in white, with black boots and wrist gauntlets and a red sash around his waist, a four-pointed star in the middle of his forehead, was casually walking up to them, his incredibly large halberd resting on his right shoulder.

The group instantly recognized him, none more so than InuYasha.

"BANKOTSU!!!" InuYasha gasped.

"Huh?" Shinji gasped as he saw the red-garbed individual down the road.

"You Bastard!" the half-demon shouted as he leapt at the young man.

However, as he went into attack mode, Kagome realized something strange.

_I'm not sensing a jewel shard in his neck. It's... in his pocket? _She gasped as InuYasha pulled his sword and leaped into the air.

"Wha? Wait a minute!" Shinji shouted as InuYasha snarled and brought his sword down.

"InuYasha! Wait!" Kagome suddenly shouted.

"WIND SCAR!" InuYasha shouted as he unleashed the might of the Tetsusaiga.

The energy exploded from the sword and blasted towards the young man, who was completely caught off guard by the sudden attack as it slammed into his body, knocking him backwards and throwing him hard into a large tree.

"Ha! Gotcha!" InuYasha grinned as he gripped his sword.

Suddenly, the Tetsusaiga glowed and transformed from its large fang-form to that of a normal-sized, rusted, blunt blade. Everyone gasped when they saw it.

"Wha... what's happened?" InuYasha gasped as he stared at his sword.

"The Tetsusaiga! It transformed back into it's original form!" Miroku said.

"Does the mean something?" Shippo asked.

"Hahahahaha!" a sudden voice filled the air.

"I know that laugh!" InuYasha growled.

"It's Naraku!" Kagome shouted as a dark-garbed figure emerged from the forest and stood next to the injured and bleeding Bankotsu.

"Greetings InuYasha. Having trouble with your sword?" Naraku asked in his usual mocking tone.

"What did you do, you bastard?" InuYasha asked, shaking his sword to try and get it to work.

"Actually, it's more like what did _you_ do? And if you have to ask, then you really are just a dumb mutt." he said.

"Why won't the Tetsusaiga work? Naraku's right there!" Shippo asked, clearly confused.

"I don't know. InuYasha struck Bankotsu with the Wind Scar... and then the Tetsusaiga reverted back into it's original form." Kagome said, trying to figure out what had happened.

"What Did You Do Naraku?" InuYasha asked.

"What did I do? I did nothing. That is the beauty of this predicament. It was all _your_ fault, InuYasha." Naraku grinned.

"Huh?"

"Seeing as how you are very confused, I will explain it in the simplest of terms." he said as he stepped up to the prone and barely breathing form of Bankotsu. "Priestess." he said to Kagome. "Do you sense anything about him?" he asked, pointing to Bankotsu. "Anything different?"

"He doesn't have a jewel shard in his body. It was in his pocket." Kagome said.

"Keep going." Naraku said.

"But... if the jewel shards brought the Band of Seven back to life and they were all in their necks, then that means... oh no!" she gasped.

Naraku smiled.

"No? No what?" Sango asked.

"This.... isn't Bankotsu!" Kagome stated.

"Correct." Naraku said.

"WHAT?" InuYasha asked.

"This isn't the Bankotsu that we've been fighting all this time!" Kagome said.

"You mean it's someone else?" Shippo asked.

"An innocent?" Miroku asked.

"Yes. That's why the Tetsusaiga won't work for InuYasha now!" Kagome said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" InuYasha asked.

Kagome growled at how 'thick' InuYasha could be some times. "YOU STUPID IDIOT!" Kagome shouted, causing the half-demon to jump back. "The Tetsusaiga Is A Sword That Protects! And You Used It To Harm An Innocent!"

"And just because InuYasha didn't realize that, doesn't mean that the Tetsusaiga didn't." Miroku mused.

"Which means the sword won't work for InuYasha now." Sango said.

"NARAKU!" InuYasha gasped. "YOU SET ME UP!!!"

"You were foolish enough not to realize the true intent of the Tetsusaiga, nor did you listen to your allies when you attack, one could say that you allowed yourself to be set up." Naraku smirked.

A swarm of insects few in and blocked the path between Naraku and InuYasha's group as Naraku picks Bankotsu up and disappears back into the forest.

"You Bastard!" InuYasha shouted, but didn't dare try to cross the path of the wasps.

"Why did he take Bankotsu's body away?" Miroku wondered as the insects flew away.

"Yeah. I mean he's dead, isn't he?" Shippo asked.

"I don't think so. But he did have a jewel shard in his pocket." Kagome said.

"But then why not just take the jewel shard and leave the body?" Sango asked.

"Well... Kagura could use her Dance Of The Dead on it to attack us again, or use a jewel shard to actually bring him back to life." Miroku said.

"Somehow I think Naraku already got what he wanted." Kagome said.

"Yeah. InuYasha's impotent now." Shippo said.

The half-demon didn't like the way that sounded.

"Naraku used an innocent boy who looked like Bankotsu..." Sango said.

"With a jewel shard in his pocket to lure us here..." Kagome said. "...or sent him to find us."

"Expecting InuYasha's hotheaded and impulsive attitude to blind any form of common sense." Miroku said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" InuYasha asked.

"Think about, you dumb mutt!" Kagome shouted. "The second you saw Bankotsu you attacked him. You didn't stop to notice that there was something wrong with him!"

"Wrong with him? Notice what?" the hanyo asked.

"How he seemed to cringe when you attacked him." Miroku said.

"How he panicked and shouted in fear." Sango said.

"How he tried to block the Wind Scar with his hands instead of his halberd." Kagome said.

"Like he didn't even know how to use it." Shippo said.

"Or for that matter that he didn't even seem to recognize any of us when he saw us." Kagome said.

"Naraku may have set us up, but we didn't even think about what was happening." Miroku said.

"Of course not. With all we've been through, we've just been acting and reacting. We haven't really been thinking beforehand." Sango said.

"Which is what Naraku expected." Kagome said.

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Several dozen miles away, a group of shinidamachu, snake-like Soul Collectors, flew around a trio of young women as they walked through the forests.

They paused as they came to an old temple, where one of the younger girls followed one of the Soul Collectors inside it. The other girl followed her inside.

"Asuka? Kocho?" Kikyo asked and followed the twins inside the temple.

Kocho appeared to be the older twin, with a black ponytail at the back of her head, like Kikyo. Her kimono was light yellow.

Asuka was apparently the younger of the two, and wore her hair in two bunches which hung as ponytails over the front of her shoulders. Her kimono was blue.

"Have you found something?" the older woman in the red and white Shinto priestess outfit with the long black hair and dark eyes asked.

Suddenly, she sensed something.

_I sense a presence in this temple. A weak, pained presence_. She thought as she stepped up to it and entered after the younger girl.

Inside the priestess saw a young man in white and blue clothes lying before the alter of the temple. There was a large gash in his chest, and Kikyo wondered why it seemed to familiar.

"Who did this to you?" Kikyo asked the young man as she stepped up and knelt before him. The two girls were on the other side of the young man.

"A.... demon.... named..... Inu-yasha..." Shinji said weakly, barely able to recall how he knew that, not knowing that he overheard the name as Naraku and InuYasha's group were talking.

Talking while he was bleeding.

Kikyo narrowed her eyes on him as she gently ran a hand over the scar.

_This injury.... it was the Wind Scar. InuYasha did attack him. But why? _She wondered, then realized something._ This body belongs to the mercenary Bankotsu. But this soul... is not that of Bankotsu. It has never taken a life. The blood of others have never stained his hands._

Then it hit her.

_Naraku. He used this boy against InuYasha. But why? What would he have to gain?_

While the two girls, Kocho and Asuka, watch over Shinji's slowly recovering body, Kikyo sends one of her Soul Collectors to spy on InuYasha and his friends.

Sitting outside of the temple under a tree, Kikyo meditated on the situation.

_Naraku used the Sacred Jewel Shards to bring the Band of Seven back to life, and used them to carry out his own will. Which included trying to destroy InuYasha and his friends. He used all of them, including Doctor Suikotsu_. She thought. It was the last thought that saddened her. _But this is not like that time. It is a different soul inside Bankotsu's body, not a dual personality. An innocent. That has to have something to do with this. _

It was hours later when the Soul Collector returned to Kikyo and revealed what it had learned.

_Of course. The Tetsusaiga is a sword that protects. InuYasha used it on an innocent, so it will no longer work for him. Naraku is both fortunate and clever_. _To find an innocent who has taken over Bankotsu's body, and used him against InuYasha so as to make him powerless._ She thought as she left stood up from the tree. _Without the Tetsusaiga, InuYasha will not only be unable to fight Naraku, but he will also be unable to control his demon side. _

"Mistress Kikyo?" the girl known as Asuka asked.

"Yes, Asuka?" Kikyo asked.

"Are you going for a walk?"

"Yes. I should not be long."

"What do we do about Shinji? He is still weak." Asuka said.

"He needs rest, but I will see if I can find some food for him to eat." Kikyo said as she walked off, leaving the pair at the temple with Shinji. Even if he wasn't weak and virtually helpless, Kikyo felt as though she could trust Shinji alone with the girls.

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It was hours later when Kikyo was returning to the temple, she came across a strange and violent occurrence.

A group of villagers were attacking a young girl, maybe 15 or 16, with long dark hair and purple eyes, who they claimed was a witch.

"But I didn't do anything!" the girl cried.

"Shut Up Witch! Our Village Is Dying, And You're To Blame!" one of the villagers shouted.

"Our crops have withered to dust!" another villager shouted.

"The wells have dried up!" another villager cried out.

"And all our animals are sick or dying!" a fourth villagers shouted.

"And it all started when You showed up!" the first villager shouted.

"But I didn't do it on purpose, I.... I...."

"Get Her!"

Kikyo could only watch in horror as the girl was beaten to death and left by the side of the road. After they had gone, Kikyo emerged from the forest and approached the body.

_How sad. To persecute someone simply because of something that is not their fault_. She thought. _I could have helped her, were it not for my lack of souls. But still... the villagers are correct. A dark presence looms over this forest and the village. This girl was not the cause of their strife, she was merely convenient. _

She suddenly felt something about the girl.

_I see now. This girl is special. Much like my reincarnation. Untapped spiritual potential. No wonder they thought her a witch. Was this darkness drawn to her, and affected the village as a result?_ Kikyo thought as she reached down and touched the body, both suddenly glowing as their powers caused a transformation that neither could have imagined.

"What?" Kikyo gasped. "What just hap-" she paused as she realized that the girls body was gone. She looked around and saw nothing. She suddenly felt something was off about herself. She then felt her body, touching her arms, her skin, her stomach, her legs, and her chest. She froze, feeling something that should not have been there. _A heart beat? That's... impossible!_ She gasped as she turned and found a small sharp rock. She jabbed it into her right hand palm, wincing as the pain shot through her, then noticing a small trickle of blood. At seeing this, she realized the truth.

She had merged with the girl's body!

Their combined spiritual powers had provided the energy needed to merge them, the girl's flesh and bones becoming the foundation for her soul to shape into her own image.

In short, Kikyo had been reborn. First soul and now body, completely human.

And of course, that lead to a unique problem.

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Kikyo eventually returned to the temple where she found Shinji playing with Kocho and Asuka. He was sitting up now, sitting on the floor and helping the pair to paint on a large piece of parchment. She didn't notice before, but the temple, while old, seemed to have also been a school at one time. There were dozens of jars of paint and ink, brushes, and paper to write on.

_He's so kind._ Kikyo thought. _I sense nothing selfish or deceptive about him. But I do sense sadness and anguish within him. Loneliness as well. A feelings of.... worthlessness. _

Her heart beat quickened as she stared at him. She clutched her chest, trying to calm herself.

_What is this? My heart... it has never beat like this before. Not since.... InuYasha. But I feel nothing for him now. He has become a dangerous and violent creature._ She thought, her heartbeat steadying. She looked back to Shinji and her heart started beating again. _My body betrays me. It feels... and it wants.... but.... I... cannot._ She looked at Shinji and saw his kind smile. _Can I?_

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Shinji eventually recovered thanks to Kikyo and the young girls. His strength returned in days, but by then, a new threat had risen up.

The village that had killed the innocent girl was being attacked by a malevolent specter, which looked like a dark-skinned tick-like creature.

Naturally, this brought InuYasha and his group running.

But even InuYasha, Miroku and Sango couldn't make a dent in the tick's thick hide. Miroku couldn't even use his Wind Tunnel attack on it, as the tick had knocked him out early in the fight.

"We have to do something, Kagome!" Shippo said.

"But what? The Tetsusaiga could, but... it won't work for InuYasha anymore." Kagome said.

"Ms Kagome?" a soft voice suddenly said.

The pair looked back and saw a young girl in a yellow kimono standing before them.

"Hey! I know you! You're.... one of Kikyo's assistants!" Kagome said.

"Please follow me." Kocho said, "And bring InuYasha's sword."

Once Kagome and Shippo got hold of the sword, which InuYasha wasn't carrying now because it didn't work for him, they quickly followed the girl into the forest.

The pair followed, eventually coming to the temple where Kikyo and Bankotsu were waiting for them.

"K-Kikyo?" Kagome gasped.

"And Bankotsu!" Shippo gasped.

"You seem surprised to see me, Kagome-san." Kikyo said.

"Uh.... guess I shouldn't be." Kagome said, looking at the young girl who had lead them here.

"I have asked you here, because I have a solution to your problem. Or to be more precise, InuYasha's problem."

"You mean... the Tetsusaiga?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand."

"The enchantments that enabled InuYasha to wield it's power, are now useless, because he used the sword against an innocent." Kikyo said, turning to look at Bankotsu.

"Right. The sword's completely dead now." Shippo said.

"However, there might be a way to restore the enchantments." Kikyo said.

"How?"

Bankotsu walked over to Kagome and held out his hand, as if asking for the sword. Kagome looked at Kikyo, who only nodded, which was enough for Kagome to give the sword over to the former mercenary leader. Bankotsu bowed to the young woman before turning back to the priestess.

"Are you sure about this?" Shinji asked.

"Yes." Kikyo said. "In order to restore the enchantment of the sword, it must be forgiven for the wrong it committed. You must forgive the Tetsusaiga, and InuYasha, for what he did to you."

Shinji held the sword in his hands and slowly fell to his knees. He gripped the blade of the sword tightly, whispering words that none of the others heard. While Shinji had come to trust Kikyo in the few days he had known her, he had to dig deep within himself to find the forgiveness needed to restore the enchantment for the sword.

"Please, Tetsusaiga.... we need you back. I forgive you, and InuYasha, for hurting me. Please, please return and fight beside InuYasha once again." Shinji said softly.

Suddenly, the sword glowed a bright blue and then stopped glowing.

"The Tetsusaiga's enchantment has been restored." Kikyo said, as Bankotsu rose up onto his feet and handed the sword back to Kagome. "It will now work for InuYasha."

"Thank you, Kikyo." Kagome said. "And to you, Bankotsu."

"Tell no one of this." Kikyo said.

"What?" Shippo asked, confused.

"Tell no one, not even InuYasha, how you managed to restore the enchantment of the sword."

"But... why?" the reincarnated priestess asked.

"Yeah. I mean... he's gonna ask." Shippo said.

"Then again, this is InuYasha we're talking about." Kagome said.

"Because if you tell him... he will come looking for me." Kikyo said.

"You... don't want him to find you?" Kagome asked.

"No. I do not." she said.

"But... why? I mean... you still care for..."

"No." Kikyo interrupted.

"What?"

"My feelings for InuYasha were strong 50 years ago. They have withered since then, to nothing. I have a new life I wish to follow, and I do not wish InuYasha to follow me. He will, you know."

"Yes. I know." Kagome said sadly.

"That is why I didn't not touch the sword myself, so that my scent would not be on it. Take the Tetsusaiga. Return it to InuYasha. Defeat Naraku." Kikyo said.

"You're.... not going to fight against Naraku?"

"I cannot stop him. You can. Therefore... I leave this in your hands, Kagome." Kikyo said as she turned and went back to where Bankotsu was still standing, his body feeling exhausted from what he had just done.

Kagome and Shippo only nod and race back to where their friends were still fighting.

"Shinji-kun? Are you alright?" Kikyo asked the new Bankotsu.

"Yes. I just feel.... tired." Shinji said.

"I'm sure. But we must leave before InuYasha tries to find me. Even without my scent on the sword, we can take no chance."

"Of course." Shinji nodded to the lovely young woman.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
(Two Years Later)

"You're doing it wrong! You're hurting him!" Kocho shouted.

"I am not! Stop telling me what to do!" Asuka snapped.

Kikyo smiled from the doorway of the house as Kocho and Asuka tried to change her son's diaper. Just then, a tall handsome figure approached her from behind.

"Is everything alright, Ki-chan?" Shinji said as he looked inside the house.

"Yes, Shinji-kun. The girls are just arguing again." Kikyo answered.

Shinji smiled as he watched the two girls care for his son. He then wrapped his arms around Kikyo gently and kissed her cheek softly.

"I love you, Ki-chan." whispered into her ear.

"I love you as well, Shinji-kun." Kikyo said, turning her head to nuzzle his face.

"And I love our children as well." he said, gently caressing her protruding belly beneath her clothes. "I hope this one is a girl, though."

"One of each. To start with." Kikyo said.

"Start with?" Shinji asked in surprise.

"I love our children as much as you do, Shinji-kun. I could love many more."

Shinji smiled as he drew his wife into a gentle kiss. "So could I." he said as his forehead rested against her own.

After leaving the temple where Kagome and Shippo had taken the Tetsusaiga from, Shinji, Kikyo, Asuka and Kocho traveled day and night until they were on the far side of the country, at the oceans edge. There they set up in an abandoned house and made a life for themselves.

Their love grew steadily, until two months after they had left the temple did Shinji ask Kikyo to marry him. Kikyo, now fully human, agreed, and the pair consummated their love, which resulted in the former priestess getting pregnant.

Their first child had been a boy, and with his birth, Asuka and Kocho became his nanny's. But there would be more children, as Shinji and Kikyo's love continued to grow more and more, resulting in a second child now on the way.

No word had been heard of Naraku or InuYasha. But it didn't matter to the pair. They were happy and loved and living peacefully from the hard and terrible lives they had been living before. They were where they wanted to be, and nothing could change that now.

Not even Naraku.

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Author's Notes:

Hope everyone liked this story. I enjoyed writing it. I always thought that Kikyo was a rather tragic character, and that she deserved someone better than InuYasha.

But I also couldn't resist transforming Shinji into someone from the story. Someone who had a good appearance and presence, just not the bad attitude. Heck, I might use Bankotsu for another story later, or a second chapter update. But as it stands, I'll just keep this a one-shot for now. Also, I should mention that some of this chapter was rushed, so if it seems problematic or needs work, let me know.


End file.
